


Through Fire

by Kolivans (arka_r)



Series: Mothership Volvatu [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Assassination Attempt(s), Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Relationship, Family Drama, Family Secrets, Fluff, M/M, Medical Procedures, Political Conflicts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-04-05 00:30:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14032200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arka_r/pseuds/Kolivans
Summary: All Ulaz ever wanted in life was to save people's life and enjoy a peaceful lunch maybe. But it all changed when a patient landed at his emergency care unit with second-degree burns, rare allergy, and a confidential agreement that wouldn't allow him to study the allergy... unless he had to navigate through the loopholes.It certainly didn't help that his patient was cute, that he was an absolute romantic, and his uncle was too nosy for their own good.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> my entry for Galra Big Bang 2017-2018!
> 
> i had a lot of rough spots while working on this, so this fic might not be my best, but i want to thank everyone who kept sticking with me and supporting me the whole time!
> 
> my artist: [akira](https://akira-ni-nekora.tumblr.com/) ([link to 1st art](https://akira-ni-nekora.tumblr.com/post/172082365051/), [link to 2nd art](https://akira-ni-nekora.tumblr.com/post/172607837951/second-artwork-for-xblackpaladins-lovely-fic))  
> my beta and the biggest thulaz queen i've ever met: [revasnaslan](http://revasnaslan.tumblr.com/)  
> my amazing and beautiful mod: [aurum](http://paladinpuppypile.tumblr.com/)
> 
> YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!!

When Ulaz arrived for work that _dral_ , he wouldn’t have expected that his small clinic would be crowded by a dozen of Blade of Marmora recruits.

 

There was a fire in the Blade of Marmora headquarters; Ulaz read it on the news when he took the morning train to the clinic. The fire wasn’t too big, and the Megalopolis’ Rescue Unit managed to take care of it in no time. But several new recruits had been injured when they evacuated the area.

 

Given the secret nature of the Blade of Marmora, the Leader didn’t want to risk putting the new recruits in the care of the Megalopolis Medical Center, which was bigger and more crowded. So they picked Ulaz’ smaller and more nondescript clinic instead to help save ten of their recruits’ lives.

 

When Ulaz entered the Emergency Ward, some of the Blade recruits were already cleaned up and put inside the healing pods. The Rescue Unit had done a good job with the smoke inhalation treatment, but these ten recruits suffered the worst burns Ulaz had seen in a while. According to the files, apparently they went back to rescue their comrades from the fire.

 

 _Self-sacrificing fools_ , Ulaz thought exasperatedly.

 

The Blade of Marmora was a group of elite warriors who worked directly under Emperor Zarkon. Their job included to protect the people of Galra from serious threats, such as assassination, terrorism, invasion, among others. They hid their identities with their signature masks and apparently it was a great honor to be recruited into their ranks.

 

Ulaz was reading over their medical history when Nurse Nuala called him from across the room. Immediately, he rushed next to her where she was hovering above one of the patients, clutching a portable regenerator in her hands.

 

“He’s having an anaphylactic reaction”, she told him.

 

“What did you give him?” Ulaz asked.

 

“ _Nothing!_ I finished cleaning his burns and was about to regenerate him”, Nuala cried out. “There’s no allergy listed on his medical records.”

 

So it was an allergy unknown to the person, Ulaz thought. He read briefly over the patient’s name; _Thace_. A new recruit—Ulaz’ brain supplied—around one century and a half old, fairly healthy, once got quarantined for Trillian cough when he was a very young cub. Other than that, no serious illness or injury.

 

He seemed very healthy, Ulaz thought. But he read about this once. It was a very rare allergic reaction, caused by the regenerator’s radiation. Thace could have had the same allergy, though there was no way to know for sure—not until they ran an allergy test. Perhaps later.

 

“Synthesize an injector”, Ulaz told the nurse. She immediately fled to the synthesizer. Ulaz heard it whirring not long after.

 

Nuala had taken off the poor recruit’s training armor and undersuit off, replacing it with loose robe, and propped up his legs. Thace’s skin was pale, almost lavender and mottled with second-degree burns. There was a bald patch on the left side of his face; the nurse probably shaved the scorched fur off when she was cleaning him.

 

His chest didn’t seem to be rising.

 

Tilting Thace’s head back, Ulaz checked for his breathing. It was there, but very faint. No wonder he was so pale, Ulaz thought. Immediately, he gave Thace rescue breaths until his chest rose and gave him compressions.

 

When Nuala arrived, Ulaz immediately had her applied the injector. Ulaz checked for Thace’s pulse and breathing, and relaxed when it slowly went back to normal. He put the respirator on and told Nuala to take care of the rest of the patients.

 

If Thace indeed had an allergy to the regenerator’s radiation, it meant that Ulaz needed to find an alternative way to heal his burns. If only a smaller amount of it from the portable regenerator could send him into anaphylactic shock, Ulaz didn’t want to think about what would happen if Nuala put Thace into the healing pod.

 

So they needed to treat him the old-fashioned way then. Antibiotic cream, soft dressing, pain reliever. The burns on Thace’s face were small enough not to cause worry, but his left palm was covered in burn. Ulaz assumed that Thace touched a burning object during his escape.

 

When Ulaz scanned it, he let out a relieved sigh. The burn wasn’t deep enough to warrant a surgery, though Thace probably would need to stop using his left hand for awhile. They needed to do a thorough scan later to see if the nerves on his palm were affected.

 

Ulaz wondered briefly how it would affect Thace’s work as a Blade member. He didn’t know why it concerned him.

 

Thace's eyes fluttered before they opened into narrow slits. For a long moment, Thace was quiet and Ulaz wondered if the Blade recruit was also concussed. But then Thace let out a deep purr and his hand wriggled weakly in Ulaz' hands.

 

"Your hand feels soft, Doc", he slurred out.

 

Ulaz blinked. Yes, a concussion seemed very likely.

 

"I am currently wearing gloves", he pointed out calmly.

 

Thace groaned and shifted his head slightly, only to hiss out in pain as the burns on his face rubbed the pillow case. When Ulaz was about to put him on IV, though, Thace only showed the barest wince, but otherwise didn’t say anything else.

 

After he put Thace under a heavy pain reliever, Ulaz went to synthesize some antibiotic cream. He went to check other patients as it whirred, and was satisfied to find that Nuala managed to handle them all by herself. The worst of them would need to stay in the pod for three _dral_ , but most of them could be released tomorrow.

 

That was when Bili, the receptionist, called him. Ulaz instructed Nuala to apply the cream on Thace's burns and told her to get him immediately if Thace showed any adverse reaction, before stepping out of the emergency unit.

 

Four masked Blade members were already waiting for him in the lobby. Ulaz briefly turned to Bili, who was cowering in fear behind his holoscreen. The poor Unilu’s gaze met with his and her shoulders sagged when he gave her a reassuring nod.

 

The one Blade member that wore different uniform—a robe instead of a set of armor—walked forward. Ulaz immediately recognized them as the Leader of the Blade of Marmora, having seen them guarding the Emperor on several ceremonies. They were noticeably taller than Ulaz and their blade was strapped to their side.

 

“You will sign this confidentiality agreement”, the Leader, whose name still eluded Ulaz, said as they pressed a datapad to his hand.

 

“Um”, Ulaz flicked his ears in irritation at their commanding tone. He refused to feel threatened in his own clinic. “Do I need to get a lawyer?”

 

The Blade Leader’s impassive mask stared back at him and Ulaz felt like he was being glared at. Or patronized. Or both.

 

“That won’t be necessary, although the Imperial Treasury will reward you a stipend”, the Leader replied. “We merely want to get our new recruits the best medical treatment they can possibly get without risking their identity. I hope you understand this, Doctor.”

 

_O-kay._

 

Ulaz tapped his chin with his fingers, hesitating, before finally speaking, “There's one patient under my care who has a rare condition. I wish to study his case—”

 

“You will do no such thing”, the Leader interrupted him.

 

“His rare condition will be valuable to the medical world”, Ulaz pointed out, barely holding his temper. “Studying his condition will be vital not only for the future generations, but also for himself.”

 

“Our order is built on secrecy and trust. We keep our identity a secret for a reason”, the Leader said. “You will not disclose your patient’s identity or medical records for whatever reason. This is not up for debate, Doctor.”

 

The Leader pushed the datapad into Ulaz’ hand more urgently. Begrudgingly, Ulaz pressed his wrist to the identifier to confirm his genetic signature. Once done, he returned it to the Leader’s hand.

 

“Unfortunately, we will need to place several Blades to guard the new recruits, as our protocols dictate”, the Leader held the datapad close to their chest. "Though we will do our best not to terrify your medical team further. Have a good day, Doctor."

 

With that, the Leader left with the big Blade member with tail, leaving two Blade members, a terrified Bili, and a very irritated Ulaz.

 

—

 

Thace’s files told Ulaz that he was raised in the Creche. He only had one emergency contact, which turned out to be the Blade of Marmora liaison or something. He had no progenitors, they were not listed in his files, and his relations to the Blade of Marmora was strictly professional. Which meant that Ulaz only needed to break the news to Thace himself.

 

“So, what’s the verdict, Doc? Why am I not in the healing pod yet?” Thace asked as soon as Ulaz sat down on the chair next to his bed.

 

Ulaz gently pulled Thace’s palm into his and began applying the antibiotic cream. He realized that he was stalling, but Thace’s burns _did_ need to get treated and the young man didn't seem to mind.

 

“You went into anaphylactic shock and suffered from second-degree burns. You also may have a rare medical condition”, he eventually said.

 

Thace was quiet, his face scrunched as if he was trying to process the information that Ulaz just gave him. He probably should leave the poor Blade recruit to rest.

 

“What rare condition?” Thace's question broke Ulaz out of his musing.

 

“Hmm?” Ulaz not-replied, still focusing on applying the antibiotic cream to the burn on the Blade recruit's palm.

 

“You said I have a rare condition. What is it? Cancer? Xeno-STD?” Thace asked insistently.

 

Ulaz paused and gave him a confused ear-twitch. “You have a rare allergy”, he answered.

 

“An _allergy?_ ” Thace laughed silently, causing his shoulders to shake. “I’m sorry, but that doesn’t really sound serio—”

 

“You're allergic to the regenerator’s radiation”, Ulaz explained. “It’s rare enough that I only read about it in an old medical journal from before Daibazaal’s destruction.”

 

Thace opened his mouth, then closed it again. His laugh turned into something more helpless. “You’re joking, right? There's no way that's a thing.”

 

Ulaz finished putting the cream on Thace’s palm and moved to the burns on his face—Thace’s eyes fell shut as his hand came close. Even though he tried to be gentle, Thace still hissed in pain as his fingers touched the burned skin.

 

He didn't know how to answer Thace’s question.

 

“We don't know yet. You’ll need to visit an allergy specialist to get yourself tested”, he explained, instead. “But if I’m correct, you won't be able to use a portable regenerator or healing pod.”

 

Thace’s eyes snapped open. “Wait—does this mean you can’t heal my burns?”

 

Ulaz shook his head. “Not immediately, no. But your burns are moderate enough that they will heal in twenty _dral_ or so. You’ll need to check up with us every cycle, unless you have someone to assist you with applying the antibiotic cream and changing your dressings. Then it will be once every three cycles, just to check, in case of infection.”

 

Thace looked like he wanted to argue, but Ulaz began wrapping his palm in a soft dressing. The young Blade recruit hissed again. “Yeah, no. I don't think I can visit you daily. Also, are you going to give me some meds too? Because this _hurts_ even though I know I'm under pretty heavy painkillers and everything feels kinda numb right now.”

 

Ulaz blinked.

 

“I can prescribe you a hypoallergenic pain reliever that you can synthesize at home, in case you’re allergic to the generic variants”, he offered. Thace shook his head. “No? Well, the generic one will suffice, then. And I’ll prescribe you an allergy injector. You’ll need to keep at least a couple with you in case of another attack.”

 

Once Ulaz was done putting on the dressing and gauze, he rose from his seat. Thace still looked like he had something on his mind, eyebrows furrowed as if he was deep in thought.

 

But what was he supposed to do? Comfort him?

 

He could do that. He was trained for that.

 

"Finding out about a new allergy as an adult can be terrifying, but it doesn't have to be life-ending. You will need to make a lot of adjustments in your lifestyle, yes, but I'm sure you will persevere", Ulaz gave Thace a curt nod.

 

Thace didn't look like he believed him, but Ulaz was needed elsewhere. So he bid the young Blade recruit a quick goodbye before starting his clinic hours. He was still inside the examination room when Nurse Nuala released Thace from their care.

 

—

 

Thace came again the next cycle, and Ulaz was surprised to find him waiting on the lobby. There was no Blade members accompanying him this time, though, much to Bili's relief.

 

“I can’t change the dressing myself”, Thace admitted once he was inside Ulaz’ examination room, his shoulders slumping.

 

Ulaz blinked, but kept his mouth shut. He didn’t want to point out that Thace could probably ask his fellow Blade for help. Most importantly, didn’t the Blade of Marmora have their own medical facility?

 

“I checked with an allergy specialist this morning”, Thace said when Ulaz worked to undo the dressing on his hand. “They said my allergy is pretty severe, so I’m gonna need a protective holo-suit because apparently radiation leaks happen all the time? That sounds pretty concerning, if I’m going to be honest.”

 

“It's not just a radiation leak”, Ulaz began to explain. “If someone uses a portable regenerator within your proximity, the radiation from it might trigger your allergy.”

 

Thace let out a low snarl. “Ugh, yeah. That too. On top of that, the Blade is putting me on medical leave indefinitely.”

 

“Isn’t that supposed to be a good thing?” Ulaz asked. He didn’t understand why Thace sounded so irritated—he couldn’t use one of his hands, so it was only natural that he got a medical leave until his hand got better, right?

 

“That’s—ugh. It’s classified, so I can’t tell you a thing.” Thace put his face in his healthy hand and groaned. “This is so frustrating.”

 

Ulaz let out an amused huff and began examining Thaces palm.

 

The fur there was also shaved clean, revealing pale purple skin underneath. The burn was wide , covering nearly all the soft padding on Thace’s palm. Ulaz was pleased to find out that it didn't seem infected, but  he still scanned it just to be safe.

 

After that, he began cleaning it under  running water. Thace tensed up, but he didn’t hiss in pain. Still, Ulaz tried to be as gentle as possible, rubbing the remnants of the yesterday’s cream and grime off.

 

Thace’s purr surprised Ulaz, but it wasn’t all that unexpected. The water was cold; it should feel nice for his burned skin—at least that was what Ulaz read. It had to be working, because Thace had this contented expression on his face.

 

“It seems that your nerves are not damaged too badly”, Ulaz told him. Thace jolted, his purring stopped, and his ears drooped low.

 

“Oh, um. That’s—I suppose that’s a good thing?” Thace gave him a weak smile. He was embarrassed, Ulaz noted.

 

“It is”, Ulaz nodded, as he began applying the antibiotic cream to Thace’s palm.

 

This time, Thace _did_ hiss out. “That feels weird. Tingly.”

 

Ulaz paused briefly, blinking in confusion.

 

“Yes, it's supposed to do that, I suppose”, he finally answered. “If you’re allergic to the cream too, you would be showing any reaction yesterday.”

 

Thace snorted.

 

“I guess I have to live the rest of my life tiptoeing around things and wondering if they might send me into anaphylactic shock, huh?” The young Blade recruit didn't sound all that amused, despite the wide grin on his face.

 

“Like I said yesterday, you’ll need to adjust your lifestyle. You’ll need to relearn how to live with your allergy, but you don’t have to worry about every single thing”, Ulaz reassured, giving the back of Thace’s hand a gentle pat. Once he was done with Thace’s palm, he began to wrap it with clean, soft dressing.

 

He dumped the used dressing into the incinerator chute, before fiddling with the panel on Thace’s chair. It flipped open into a bed and Ulaz moved his chair to the end.

 

“Lie down, please”, he told Thace.

 

The other Galra obliged, but not without letting out an irritated huff as if the mere action was a great chore. This was familiar, at least; patients giving him attitude for something that he couldn’t control. As his doctor, Ulaz was responsible to nurse Thace back to health and inform him about his rare condition. What Thace would do afterwards wasn’t really his business.

 

Ulaz repeated the procedure with the burns on Thace’s face. When the purrs returned, Ulaz wisely decided not to mention it. Eventually, he finished and helped Thace to sit up.

 

“I look ridiculous”, Thace commented when he passed his reflection on the window in the hallway.

 

Ulaz ignored his remark. “The fur may cause you itch and discomfort when it regrows, but please refrain from scratching it. In case of ingrown fur, please contact me immediately and do _not_ attempt to remedy it yourself.”

 

“I’ll remember that”, Thace said with a shrug. “I’ll be bothering you again tomorrow. Same time?”

 

“I’ll put you on the schedule.” Ulaz nodded.

 

Thace looked like he was going to say something, but refrained himself. Without another word, he left the clinic.


	2. Chapter 2

The news about the fire at the Blade of Marmora headquarters spread like… well, _fire_ . It was all everyone talked about within the last few _dral_.

 

Not that Ulaz could blame them; nothing really interesting ever happened within Mothership Volvatu. The last time anything interesting happened, it was when Princess Acxa nearly drowned in the pond at the Botanical Garden when the Galran Royal Family was having a picnic day. Emperor Zarkon had been _rightfully_ furious and nearly shut down the Garden.

 

This fire incident was on a different level than that, obviously. According to the news, Commander Sendak and Commander Ladnok were leading the investigation under Emperor Zarkon’s command. This raised a few eyebrows from analysts all over the Mothership. It wasn’t a secret that there was bad blood between the Blade of Marmora and the Imperial Fleet. Last time Ulaz checked the news, the Commanders were unavailable for comment, while the Blade of Marmora Leader was ever-so-elusive.

 

When Ulaz was having his afternoon meal at Sal’s, the holoscreen began to show one of those ‘special reports’. He knew that nothing in it was worth listening as there had been no recent development about the investigation—at least, none that the Blade of Marmora was willing to release to the public. At most, news stations were simply calling analysts to provide insight by using already-known facts. It got boring after several _dral_ , if Ulaz wanted to be honest.

 

He resisted the urge to groan, but he did flick his ears in irritation and wished that he brought his earbuds with him. However, he had had a lot in his mind as he left the clinic earlier.

 

The more he read about the regenerator radiation allergy, the more confused he became. There were few studies about it, and everything was chalked up as an odd genetic mutation. But for a mutation to happen, something had to trigger it. What was it? Was it the radiation itself? But why? Was it actually harmful to everyone, even if they didn’t show an allergic reaction to it?

 

If he could study it and understand it, he could revolutionize the regenerator technology.

 

But he _couldn’t_ —that was the problem. The confidential agreement he signed was absolute and there was no way he could study Thace’s allergies without revealing _something_ —genetic code, blood type, and the like. All the Blade of Marmora wanted was for him to heal Thace and be done with it. It was really frustrating.

 

“Why the glum face, ‘Laz?” Sal’s voice broke him out of his musing, and Ulaz quickly locked his datapad to hide the scribbles he made. There was nothing about Thace in there, but just in case.

 

“Work troubles, Sal”, Ulaz gave the plump Galra a weak smile. Sal _really_ liked to gossip, and Ulaz didn’t want to reveal too much about his work to him. “Can I get the usual?”

 

“One grilled _hrakul_ and _plata_ , coming up”, Sal answered cheerfully. “Do you want _agai_ or _ciriil_ with that?”

 

“Do you have _vokta_ , perhaps?” Ulaz asked. The pink sparkling beverage would soothe his nerves better than _ciriil_ tea and he was currently not in the mood to consume something as sweet as _agai_.

 

“Wow, must be really a rough cycle”, Sal commented before disappearing to process Ulaz’ orders.

 

Ulaz went back to his datapad to read some news. Right now, any mindless news about the Royal Family sounded more appealing than anything about the fire incident at the Blade of Marmora Headquarters, but alas, the news about the fire seemed to be covering up the whole news page.

 

He ended up browsing the science section instead. There was an article about a newly discovered planet that might be perfect for colonization. It was lengthy and dull, full of astrophysics jargon that he couldn’t understand, but at least it was something _different_.

 

Sal came back to place a glass of _vokta_ in front of Ulaz, before letting out a surprised shout. “His Sublimity’s grace, Thace! What happened to your face?!”

 

Ulaz nearly spat out his drink at that. When he turned, Thace was indeed there, entering Vrepit Sal’s Sustenance Stall with his hands inside his pocket. His face was still bandaged and he was wearing simple button-up shirt instead of the usual undersuit he wore when visiting the clinic. He took the seat in front of Sal, next to Ulaz’, before slouching over the counter as if the weight of the Universe rested upon his shoulders.

 

 

Ulaz wondered how in the Universe Sal didn’t know about the fire at the Blade of Marmora headquarters—but then he remembered that no one was supposed to know about the Blade recruits’ identity. It was unlikely that Sal knew Thace was a Blade member.

 

“Some clumsy-heads spilled dangerous chemicals during my shift”, Thace answered with a sigh. “Got second-degree burn or something.”

 

“You still working as security at—what is it the last time?” Sal leaned over the counter.

 

“Something with the Altean alchemists.” Thace rubbed his face, but let out a pained hiss as he accidentally rubbed over the bandaged part of his face. “Look, can I just get the usual? You can rub it in my face later.”

 

“Alright, alright”, Sal waved his hand. “Though for once I’d spare you the rubbing. That burn looks painful. Why didn’t you get it healed? This nice fellow next to you is a doctor, maybe he can help you.”

 

Ulaz, who had been watching Thace the whole time, snapped his head to Sal, eyes wide and face hot from getting caught. He eyed Thace again, unsure how to react. He wasn’t very good at lying.

 

But Thace apparently was. He straightened up when he turned to Ulaz, his ears perking up in interest. He eyed Ulaz with no trace of recognition on his face as if they never met before.

 

“Oh, really?”

 

Ulaz nodded hesitantly, before deciding to play along. “I own a clinic nearby”, he answered. That was the truth, at least.

 

“Alright then. Can we go there, Doctor…?” Thace tilted his head slightly.

 

“Ulaz”, Ulaz answered. “And we may go there after I’m done with lunch.”

 

Thace beamed, before returning his attention back to Sal, who came out of the kitchen bringing Ulaz and Thace’s orders. While Ulaz ate, he noticed that Thace was having difficulties with his food; namely, he could only use his uninjured hand to cut the grilled meat. After some time, Thace sighed dejectedly before stabbing the meat with his fork and attempting to tear it with his incisors.

 

Deciding to spare his patient the struggle, Ulaz shifted his seat slightly to Thace’s direction and gently picked the knife Thace had discarded earlier. He cut the meat in bite-sized chunks, and when he looked up, he found Thace and Sal were staring at him with identical odd look on their face.

 

“It won’t do to aggravate the injury before I have a chance to take a look of it”, Ulaz reasoned calmly.

 

Sal snorted. “Oh I know a thing or two about being _aggravating_.” He pointed his thumb to Thace’s direction. “This fellow here always got himself into all sorts of trouble when he was young.”

 

“You two know each other, then, I take it?” Ulaz asked. He didn’t know why he was feeling curious—it was _not_ his business.

 

But Sal didn’t seem to mind. He slung his arm over Thace’s shoulder with bright expression. “Yeah, we’re cubmates! So close that people thought we’re littermates.”

 

“Ugh, that was embarrassing. We don’t even look like each other!” Thace grumbled, elbowing Sal on the stomach. But when Sal pulled him into a tighter embrace, his expression shifted into something fond.

 

“Oh, I think you look similar enough”, Ulaz chuckled, gesturing at their furred ears and similar coloration. Thace and Sal looked at each other, before bursting out laughing.

 

Ulaz’ lunch break continued in jovial manner, Sal and Thace bantering with each other, and Ulaz occasionally providing unhelpful input. When Ulaz was done, Sal released both him and Thace with a bundle of sweet and savory snacks—along with a wink to Ulaz’ direction to take care of his reckless cubmate.

 

“So, he doesn’t know that you’re…” Ulaz eyed Thace meaningfully, once they were on their way to Ulaz’ clinic.

 

“No, he doesn’t. Can’t imagine how worried he’ll be if he knew”, Thace answered with a great sigh. “We haven’t really talk that much since I moved out to the Blade’s housing. All he knows is that I work odd jobs with the Alteans, even though he wants me to help him with the stall instead.”

 

From Thace’s tone, it was clear that it had been causing them some conflict, but it sounded personal that Ulaz was hesitant to pry. He’d known Sal for quite awhile, visited his stall nearly every lunch break, but he knew nothing about Sal’s personal life—and he’d rather keep it that way. This, however, made him reconsider.

 

“Wait.” Something popped in Ulaz’ mind, something brilliant but could very well get him into serious trouble with the Blade of Marmora. “So… you have a civilian persona.”

 

“Technically, my civilian persona is my real identity.” Thace shrugged. “In the Blade of Marmora, we are faceless, nameless soldier loyal to the Emperor.”

 

There was something like pride in Thace’s voice, before Ulaz remembered that it was supposedly a great honor to be joining the Blade’s ranks, just like it was a great honor to join the Imperial Fleet. Ulaz, however, never had such predilection when he was growing up. All he wanted was to save lives in more meaningful way.

 

And right now, he had a chance to save more lives. Thace’s allergy might be rare, but there were no studies about it other than the ones from old, musty journals. What if it was more common than he thought and people simply didn’t know they had it because they were not constantly risking their lives?

 

“I want to propose something”, Ulaz said as soon as they got into his office back at the clinic.

 

“I only take marriage proposal after the third date, and that’s only get you a maybe”, Thace gave him a wink. Ulaz stared at the other Galra for a moment, blush creeping up his face, before he managed to get himself together again.

 

“Not that kind of proposal”, he said, grateful at how steady his voice sounded, before pulling out a holoscreen from his desk. “I told you that your allergy is a very rare case. I wish to study it, so I can understand it and take precautions in case similar allergies showed up.

 

“I signed the confidential agreement not to disclose the medical records of the Blade recruits under my care, and that includes you, as one of their recruits. However—” He gave Thace a knowing look as he pulled out a new file and pushed it to Thace’s direction. “Your leader said nothing about me studying you, Thace the civilian who worked with the Alteans, and your very rare allergy.”

 

Thace eyed him briefly before pulling the holoscreen closer so he could read. Meanwhile, Ulaz waited for Thace’s reaction with bated breath. It didn’t take long for Thace to finish reading—the Blade’s confidential agreement was short and precise, just like their luxite blades.

 

“What’s in it for me?” he asked, his eyes met with Ulaz’s. Ulaz tried not to squirm in his seat, be it from excitement or from fear for what he was about to do.

 

“Knowing your allergy better”, Ulaz answered. “Very little is known about it. By understanding it, hopefully it can improve your life for the better.”

 

“And so you can cure my allergy, right?” Thace sounded hopeful.

 

“Unfortunately, you cannot cure an allergy, as it is your antibodies’ reaction against foreign contaminants”, Ulaz answered. He didn’t understand why Thace was still asking about this. If he already visited an allergy specialist, surely the specialist had explained about this to him?

 

As expected, Thace looked so dejected by his words, his ears drooping almost pinning to his head. It made Ulaz feel really, really bad for crushing his hope as soon as it bloomed.

 

“However”, he continued, attempting to make Thace feel better. “There are many regenerators and healing pods that use different healing particles, but their purpose is the same: to encourage your body to heal faster, to enhance your immunity system. If we can identify the true allergen, we can probably find a type of regenerator that works for you.”

 

“Yeah… I guess so.” Thace still didn’t look convinced, but his expression lifted slightly. “Alright, I’m in. What do you want me to do?”

 

Ulaz opened another holoscreen, this time contained a blank medical form. “We make a new form by using your civilian persona; name, address, contact information, and such. I will also need your consent to tests and examinations. If something is making you uncomfortable, we may skip the procedure or postpone it to a later date.”

 

While Thace filled the form, there was something like protectiveness blooming in Ulaz’ chest. All his life, he’d taken regenerators and healing pods for granted. They were part of his daily life, that it was so unthinkable that someone was unable to use them.

 

He thought about Thace suffering from a life-threatening injury that could only be healed by healing pod—something that was very likely in his line of work—and shuddered.

 

“Don’t worry, Thace. We will find a work-around to your allergy, so you may use healing pods again”, Ulaz promised as he began to change the dressing on Thace’s hand.

 

The hopeful smile that Thace gave to him was almost blinding.


	3. Chapter 3

Today was a big day.

 

Thace’s wounds had gotten progressively better, even without the regenerator. There was new, healthy skin tissue growing over his hand, and Ulaz was pleased to find that there was no infection whatsoever on both the wound on his face and the one on his hand. Although there was a minor problem with ingrown fur on his face, it was nothing that Ulaz couldn’t help him with.

 

Today, Ulaz declared that Thace no longer needed to dress his wounds. Though Ulaz still encouraged him to keep applying the burn paste, he didn’t have to visit the clinic every cycle just to change his dressing—something that made Ulaz feel a little bit regretful.

 

They had gotten closer since their first meeting. Thace always came during the dead hours where Ulaz’ clinic was the least busy, and they always ended up talking about everything and nothing. If Ulaz wanted to be honest, he often looked forward to his meetings with Thace. 

 

“Aww, Doctor, are you going to miss me?” Thace’s words made Ulaz jump slightly in his seat.

 

“I guess I am…” Ulaz felt his face heating up something fierce, but he turned away to dump the used dressings into the incinerator chute so Thace couldn’t see his face. “You did always come to save me whenever death by boredom sounds preferable.”

 

“Well, it  _ is _ my job to save people. That’s what we, the Blade of Marmora, are sworn to do.” Thace puffed out his chest proudly.

 

“My hero”, Ulaz retorted dryly, even as a warm fuzzy feeling filled his chest cavity.

 

“Besides, I’ll still come over for your, you know, ‘side project’ thing. So it’s not like we won’t meet again”, Thace said, nudging Ulaz’ shoulder. 

 

Ah yes, their little ‘side project’. Ulaz still failed to discover which healing particle was the cause of Thace’s allergic reaction—but then again, there were hundreds, if not thousand healing particles used in regenerators and healing pods.

 

“Now that I’m all healed. Antok would definitely want me back on the training sessions again”, Thace groaned as he walked out of the examination room. Ulaz was trailing behind him, ready to close the clinic for the night.

 

Both of them froze almost at the same time at Thace’s slip-up.

 

“ _ D’jal _ . I probably shouldn’t have said that”, Thace grumbled, pulling at his hair frustratedly. Ulaz knew that the Blade of Marmora and their whole ‘secrecy’ shtick would probably put Thace in trouble, even though Ulaz didn’t know any ‘Antok’ in his life before.

 

“Hmm? You were saying something?” Ulaz gave him a knowing smile. “Forgive me, Thace, it seems that I have  _ Marmoritis _ that causes me to lose my hearing temporarily whenever the Blade of Marmora is mentioned.”

 

That made Thace burst out laughing so hard he doubled over.

 

When Ulaz returned to his apartment later, he found that Thace’s laughter was still ringing in his ear, clear as Balmeran crystal.

 

Ulaz was not so delusional that he couldn’t understand his own feelings. Every jolt of electrostatic-feeling he felt when hearing Thace’s voice, every surge of warm feeling in his chest when Thace was doing something endearing—he knew what they meant. He already came to a conclusion several cycles ago, that he truly and undeniably was harboring romantic feelings for Thace.

 

But he also realized how unprofessional it was. Falling for his own patient was something that Ulaz did not want to happen. He loved and enjoyed what he did in the clinic; helping people had always been his dream, and the Galra Sovereignty had helped him to make it happen. He didn’t know what would happen if word got out that he was courting his own patient—and he had no intention to find out.

 

Ulaz turned over on his bed and sighed.

 

He pulled his sleeping robe tighter around himself, before padding to the communicator console in his room. It didn’t take long until a familiar figure appeared on the screen.

 

“Hello, nephew. It is good to see you”, Kolivan greeted him. Their hair was unbraided and slightly disheveled, but they were still wearing an elaborate robe that could only mean that they hadn’t yet gone to bed.

 

“Hello,  _ konu’i _ . I hope I’m not interrupting anything”, Ulaz said apologetically. He knew how busy Kolivan was, since they were promoted to be a liaison between Galra Sovereignty and Altea Ascendancy. 

 

But Ulaz supposed that it was a good thing, since his sibling often remarked how dull their life aboard the Mothership was, that not even being married to His Sublimity Emperor Zarkon could change that. At least Kolivan seemed to enjoy their new duties.

 

“It is fine. Sincline visited earlier”, Kolivan answered with a sigh. Ulaz perked up slightly at the mention of his cousin.

 

“Are they well, then? I heard from the news that their husband is the one leading the investigation.” Prince-Consort Sincline was married to Commander Sendak nearly one century ago, though the royal couple had yet to be blessed with an offspring. Perhaps because Sincline was often off the Mothership, leading exploration missions with the Alteans in search of new planets.

 

Maybe Ulaz should pay his cousin and their family a visit on Dral’Zaivarti.

 

“Ah yes, the  _ investigation _ ”, Kolivan’s ear twitched in irritation. “It seems that it’s the only thing that people talk as of late. It’s bad enough that my husband has always been talking about it over meals— _ meals _ , Ulaz! He never asks how my cycles go.”

 

Well, his  _ konu’i _ seemed to share Ulaz’s sentiment over the whole fire incident. “I’m sure he’s merely worried.”

 

Kolivan let out an indignant noise and crossed their arms. “And what about you, Ulaz? I don’t presume this is a social call, isn’t it?”

 

“You wound me,  _ konu’i _ . I still call you often”, Ulaz pursed his lips, his fingers tapping on the desk. There was a pinkish stain there that he never noticed before. Knowing himself, it was probably the  _ vokta _ he consumed during his research about healing particles.

 

And that reminded him of Thace.

 

“Something good happened at work?” Kolivan’s voice broke through his musings, and Ulaz flushed.

 

“Kind of”, he answered with a smile. “I met… someone.”

 

“ _ Someone _ someone?” There was a twinkle in Kolivan’s eyes now.  _ Stars _ , this was absolutely a mistake.

 

“He’s a patient of mine”, Ulaz confessed. There, now it was out. He could only hoped for the best.

 

“Ah”, Kolivan brightened up. “But he makes you smile.”

 

“ _ Konu’i _ , you can’t seriously—”

 

“Ulaz, you are just as stubborn as your foster father”, Kolivan interrupted him. “After the destruction of Daibazaal, I saw how you grew distant. It was… understandable, I know this. But then you lost your father too. You threw yourself into your work and moved out.”

 

“My apartment is closer to the clinic”, Ulaz pointed out.

 

“I know, but I can’t help but worry…” Kolivan was twisting their fingers. “If this patient of yours is good for you, don’t push him away. Let Zarkon and I deal with the fallout.”

 

“That’s… dirty, you know”, Ulaz smiled.

 

“What’s the point of having royal backup if you never use it?” Kolivan shrugged. “Stars knows Sincline is using it to get as far as possible from the Mothership. At least this special patient of yours will make you  _ stay _ .”

 

Ulaz’ ears twitched. Since Thace was a Blade of Marmora member, it was highly unlikely that they would be moving out to a colony anytime soon. “There’s also… another thing.”

 

“Oh?” Kolivan’s ears perked up fully in attention. Damn gossipy witch, Ulaz cursed internally.

 

“You, uh… obviously know about the fire incident. Well… he’s one of the Blade of Marmora recruits who ended up in my care.”

 

Kolivan was quiet for a bit, before muttering under their breath. “Oh dear…”

 

— 

 

Ulaz was jolted into wakefulness by the sound of his work communicator beeping loudly from the bedside. It took him awhile to reorient himself, before deciding that he wasn’t presentable enough to accept a video transmission.

 

“Doctor Ulaz here”, he answered the call audio-only, voice still raspy from sleep, and quickly dressing up himself with one hand. Knowing that it was his work communicator and not his personal one, the call was most likely emergency in nature.

 

“Doctor! Thank His Sublimity—” Sal’s voice came from the comm. He sounded panicking. “Thace’s having an ani—ana—”

 

“An allergic reaction?” Ulaz asked, feeling dread dropping into his gut. He already reached the front door of his apartment and in his haste, nearly forgot to lock the door. “Did you give him his injector?”

 

“His  _ what? _ ” Sal asked back.

 

Ulaz was  _ this _ close from snarling in exasperation. “He has an injector that helps relieve his allergic reactions. He should have it on his person at all times.”

 

There was a rustling from the other end, before Ulaz heard a quiet ‘ _ A-ha! _ ’ and Sal was back on the line again. “How do I use it?”

 

“Shake it three times until the purple dot glows, then stab it to his thigh”, Ulaz answered. The elevator ride to the basement station felt like it took forever, and Ulaz wished they had a faster means of transportation—like beaming himself straight into his patient like in those sci-fi movies. It sounded absolutely horrendous to have his matters disassembled and rearranged again, but Ulaz couldn’t help but wishing for it all the same, if it meant he could get to his patients during emergencies like this.

 

“So I just did that, what now?” Sal asked again through the comm.

 

“Take him to my clinic. The injector will only buy him a varga or two at most, but rest assured that he will survive the trip. If you can, bring a cleaning droid as he might throw up in a couple dobosh, but that’s nothing to be alarmed about”, Ulaz said.

 

“Alright… His breathing went back to normal”, Sal still sounded shaky. “Alright. I’ll do that. Thank you, Doctor.”

 

Ulaz arrived on the clinic fifteen dobosh later, nearly out of his breath. The clinic had been closed for the night several hours ago, but the Emergency Unit was always open.

 

He found Thace occupying one of the beds, with Eetu, the night shift nurse, already attending to him and Sal backed off to the wall. Ulaz wouldn't have noticed him, nearly blending with the wall with how pale and quiet he was. Once he made sure that Eetu could handle Thace’s treatment himself, he went to Sal with his datapad in hand.

 

“I don’t understand, he just… fell sick all of a sudden!” Sal clutched at his scarf helplessly.

 

“Did he tell you about his allergy?” Ulaz asked.

 

“He did, he said that it’s really rare. At first I couldn’t believe it. After all, how could he be allergic to  _ regenerators?! _ ” Sal threw his hands up in the air, before ruffling his head-fur. “But we didn’t go anywhere near those blasted things. We went out, had drinks, and—”

 

Ulaz lifted his head from the datapad. “And?”

 

“A-a-and nothing!” Sal stuttered.

 

This made Ulaz wrinkle his nose. While he was no good at lying, he could still detect when people were lying to him—and Sal was a  _ terrible _ liar.

 

“Sal, Thace told you that it’s rare, but I don’t think you understand how  _ rare _ it is. The last person who had similar allergy lived back when Daibazaal still existed”, Ulaz said, ignoring the way Sal’s face blanched even further. “Any studies done about it were incredibly outdated, so it would be helpful for both me and Thace if you tell me what you two did afterwards.”

 

“Jewelry store…” a weak voice came from the examination table. Ulaz swiveled on his heels and watched as Thace struggled to sit up. “We went to a jewelry store. A-and… I bought this  _ tevar’mane  _ amulet, with a Balmeran crystal inset.”

 

“Oh…” Ulaz felt his heart sink into the void. He didn’t want to know why Thace was buying  _ tevar’mane  _ amulet or who he was courting with. But then Ulaz realized the second part of Thace’s admission. “I’m sorry, did you say Balmeran crystal?”

 

Thace’s ear swiveled back in embarrassment. “Y-yeah. I thought they’d look pretty on you.”

 

There were so many things happening that Ulaz couldn’t even process. Thace’s admission took a turn that he hadn’t been expecting—had he bought the amulet for Ulaz? Why had the Balmeran crystal set off Thace’s allergy? Most important of all, why was Thace buying a  _ tevar’mane  _ amulet for  _ him? _

 

“Wait”, Ulaz took a deep breath and resisted the urge to pull his own head-fur. “Wait. I need a moment. Just… wait.”

 

He practiced the breathing exercise that Kolivan taught him, before facing Thace once again. “First of all; your timing is  _ terrible _ . Are you  _ seriously _ declaring your intention to court me right after nearly  _ dying _ from anaphylactic shock?!”

 

“See what I mean with getting into all sorts of trouble?” Sal asked, causing Ulaz to jump slightly. He forgot that they had an audience. Eetu, at least, had enough courtesy to leave the room immediately.

 

Meanwhile, Thace was grinning shamelessly. “What can I say? I think nearly dying gave me some perspective about life.”

 

_ Stars _ , that was probably the most ridiculous thing Ulaz had ever heard—yet still, it sent his heart fluttering. No word could describe his feelings; exhilaration, perhaps, at knowing that his attraction was mutual. Without further ado, he crossed the room to reach Thace’s bed and pressed the tip of his nose to Thace’s.

 

“You”, Ulaz nuzzled Thace’s cheek as he began to purr. “Are a disaster.”

 

“Well, I’m  _ your  _ disaster now”, Thace let out the most childish giggle. “You’re accepting my proposal to court you, then, I take it?”

 

“I have yet to receive it, as far as I remember”, Ulaz reminded him as he reluctantly pulled away.

 

“Ahh, damn—” Thace cursed as he went to search his clothes—with great difficulty, Ulaz noted, thanks to the IV drip on one of his hand. “I think I dropped it when I, you know, blacked out.”

 

“I got it”, Sal called out again, holding a finely crafted  _ tevar’mane  _ amulet. It was crafted with white wires and set with three Balmeran gemstones that glimmered under the lights on the clinic. Ulaz silently agreed that the amulet would look flattering on him.

 

Such a pity that he couldn’t wear it around Thace.

 

“I accept your courtship”, Ulaz said, taking the amulet with his hands. 

 

He took out a handkerchief from his pocket, before wrapping the amulet with it. He had no clue why Balmeran crystals could set off Thace’s allergy so badly that he almost died, and Ulaz was determined to find out why.

 

“I’m going to run some tests. After all, I promised that I would find out more about your allergies.” He gave Thace a warm smile. “But for now… I think it’s best that I stay away from you. I don’t want to accidentally trigger your allergy— _ stars _ , that would be bad.”

 

Thace let out a bark of laugh, and Ulaz thought it sounded good coming from him.


	4. Chapter 4

“You are allergic to refined quintessence”, Ulaz showed his findings to Thace several  _ dral _ later, multiple holoscreens displayed the various qualities of refined quintessence and what they were being used as.

 

“Isn’t that like, ship fuel?” Thace asked, pulling one of the screen closer so he could read.

 

“That’s one of its uses, yes”, Ulaz nodded. “But it’s also commonly used as healing particles for the regenerators and healing pods.”

 

“And the Balmeran crystal?” Thace lifted his head from the screen to meet Ulaz in the eye.

 

“The ritual to remove Balmeran crystals from the Balmera turns the quintessence inside it into something similar to refined quintessence—a process that only Sacred Alteans can do”, Ulaz explained. “Although my source is quite confused about how your allergy is even possible. Apparently, she claims that  _ ‘quintessence is life itself _ .’”

 

“Who’s your source?” Thace asked. “Wait—does that mean I’m not technically alive?”

 

Ulaz grimaced a bit, ears dropping as he did. “Do you know Master Alchemist Honerva? She studies quintessence and, well… my uncle knows her from work.”

 

“You mean Lady Honerva, consort of Emperor Zarkon?!” Thace shouted, nearly falling off his chair. 

 

“Oh, yes. That’s her”, Ulaz blinked, not fully realizing what the fuss was about, but then it hit him. “You know that… I’m kind of related to the Galran Royal Family, right? My uncle is Chief Kolivan of the Lorian Councilship. My adoptive father was Ranveig, former president of the United Republic of Lorian People.”

 

“You’re  _ related _ to Kolivan?!” Now Thace fell from his chair for real. “You… you can’t spring this on me.  _ Stars _ , that means the Emperor is like, your uncle by marriage too, right?”

 

“Well… now you know”, Ulaz chuckled as he rose from his own seat and helped Thace to get up. There was something about Thace’s overreaction that struck him weird—but it was probably nothing.

 

“Wait, does this mean that you’re going to bring me to meet them for Dral’Zaivarti…?” Thace asked.

 

It took Ulaz a bit to reach the conclusion that—yes, since Thace was an orphan and the closest thing he had for a family was Sal, he was probably expecting Ulaz to bring him to any family gatherings. “That was what I planned. Honerva… demands to meet you.”

 

That pulled a nervous laugh out of Thace. “She’s not gonna experiment on me, is she?”

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell her that you’re my experiment first”, Ulaz bumped his nose to Thace’s cheek.

 

The physical contact seemed to calm Thace down a little bit. His smile became more genuine, and he even started to purr.

 

After a  _ dralis _ of courting, Ulaz began to find little things about Thace. First thing that he noticed; Thace was extremely touch-starved. He could give Thace some light scritching, and Thace would melt into his fingers almost immediately—it was absolutely endearing… and  _ sad _ , given Thace’s background. It made Ulaz even more determined to give him every single bit of affection that he could manage.

 

Thace bumped his shoulder shyly, so Ulaz returned by wrapping his arm around Thace’s shoulder. 

 

“You know, let’s bring Sal too for Dral’Zaivarti”, Ulaz said. “I bet he’d like that.”

 

—

 

Thace and Ulaz met with Sal at the train station that would take them to the Star-Palace, on the eve of Dral’Zaivarti. 

 

The weather became more chilly to replicate the weather during Dral’Zaivarti back on the Homeplanet. Ulaz thanked his Lorian ancestry that made him able to endure arctic weather—and the Lorian formal robe he wore was meant for colder weather also. But Thace and Sal were not as lucky.

 

“You two are Ndalu?” Ulaz asked, noting the Ndalu formalwear the two Galra wore; loose and flimsy tunics that would be perfect in humid tropical weather of the Ndalu Archipelago, but not really good for subtropical weather.

 

“The creche we grew up tested our DNA to find our heritage. We had Ndalu representatives telling us that they couldn’t take us in because they couldn’t find from which branch of Ndalu family we came from.” Thace gave Ulaz an easy shrug as if it was nothing. 

 

But it made Ulaz frown. Many family branches were wiped out during the destruction of Daibazaal and those who survived would take in anyone with the same cultural background, even if they were not from the same family branch. Ulaz, for example, had no familial tie to Kolivan and Ranveig’s tribe, the Great Storm Tribe. Yet, the tribe opened their house simply because Ulaz was born Lorian.

 

He knew that the Ndalu were not as tight-knit as the Lorian, but it still felt wrong for them to abandon two orphans, simply because they couldn’t find which family branch Thace and Sal came from.

 

Their conversation was interrupted by a single carriage pulling into the station. This one was especially sent for them to take them to Galran Royal Facet. Ulaz had feared that Zarkon would be sending some of his personal guards along, but thankfully the carriage was empty, much to Ulaz’ relief. He did not want to terrify his guests so early.

 

Ulaz had assumed Thace had ridden along in the royal carriage during his time with the Blades, but again his assumption was proven wrong. Thace still gaped and gasped with Sal at the interior of the carriage. Ulaz wondered if Thace was acting along because Sal was with them.

 

“I’ve never been in a carriage this fancy before”, Sal told Ulaz, patting the soft cushion he was sitting on. The carriage was already moving to the heart of the Megalopolis, where the Star-Palace hung at its center.

 

“You’ve never visited the Star-Palace?” Ulaz asked. Some places inside the Star-Palace, like the Royal Botanical Garden and the Great Druidic Temple, were open for public.

 

“Yes, but not in a carriage like this!” Sal whispered, still in that starstruck voice.

 

It didn’t take long for them to reach the Star-Palace. As always, the station was guarded by two Imperial guards standing by the entrance and a dozen of sentries, but the atmosphere looked more cheery than usual with the white banners and lights hung on the wall. The guards too wore white gleaming armor instead of their usual armor.

 

Ulaz was helping Thace and Sal onto the platform, when another carriage pulled into the station. Before he could react, a white blur slammed his midsection, causing him to stagger backwards.

 

“Cousin Ulaz!” Prince Lotor’s chirped as he was practically using Ulaz’ robe as a makeshift swing. Ulaz tried to pry the small boy away to no avail—the boy was stuck on him like Lilium leech. But then Lotor flashed him a smile so bright, and Ulaz found fight had already fled him.

 

“Hello, Lotor.  _ Navashuu _ ”, Ulaz said, lifting the little boy up so they could bump foreheads. “ _ Oof _ , you’re getting heavy. How old are you now?”

 

Lotor brightened and held up all ten of his fingers. “I’m this old! How old are you, Cousin?”

 

“I’m not sure I have enough fingers to count how old I am.” Ulaz chuckled.

 

“Lotor, let go of your cousin.” Emperor Zarkon stepped into view, wearing white iridescent chestplate over gold-veined black robe. Lotor immediately let go of Ulaz’ robe and chose to climb his father instead, so he could use Zarkon’s broad shoulder as a perching spot.

 

“Hello,  _ za’daanu _ ”, Ulaz took Zarkon’s free hand and bumped his forehead to Zarkon’s.

 

“Hello to you too, Ulaz. You look well”, Zarkon said, before turning his attention to Ulaz’ companions. “Please rise. Ulaz’ mate is Kolivan’s family and Kolivan’s family is my family as well. There’s no need for formality during Dral’Zaivarti.”

 

Ulaz hadn’t noticed the two of them kneeling until his uncle said so. Thace rose from where he was kneeling but kept himself hidden behind Ulaz. Sal, though, still looked as if he was going to faint—that was until Thace jabbed him on the ribs.

 

Of course, knowing Zarkon, he would be followed by either one of his mates. Ulaz’ guess was correct, when Lady Honerva climbed out of the carriage, carrying an alarmingly large bundle in her arms. Zarkon immediately rushed to help her, followed by Ulaz, Thace, and Sal.

 

“Mama brought too many gifts!” Lotor giggled, from his father’s shoulder.

 

“I only want to make sure everyone gets their gift!” Honerva reasoned.

 

Thace’s eyes widened in alarm. “How many will be attending the feast?”

 

“You’ll see soon enough”, was all Zarkon’s answer. Together, they walked to the Inner Garden, where the entire Galran Royal Family were waiting for them.

 

Sincline and Sendak were right at the center of them all, with Honerva’s adoptive daughters, Ezor and Narti, climbed all over them both. Narti eventually settled on Sincline’s lap while petting her mother’s pet cat, Kova—but the more rambunctious Ezor practically used Sendak as her personal climbing tree. Once she reached the top of his head, she jumped into Sendak’s outstretched hand, and the whole process would be repeated all over again.

 

Krolia and Andy’s little family were newer additions. Krolia came from the colony, wanting to reconnect with her Lorian heritage, and Kolivan welcomed her with open arms, though she and her crew went to answer a distress call that led her to a distant solar system not long after. She rescued Andy from the wreckage of his own primitive vessel there and brought him back to the Mothership. The two had been raising their litter in peace since then.

 

Keith and Acxa were smaller than most Galran cubs their age, but they were just as energetic, if not more. Acxa inherited her mother’s physiology, while Keith inherited his father’s. The two were wrestling over something on the grass, while their parents watched over them without making any attempt to remove them from each other.

 

On the gazebo, Ulaz could see some of his Lorian relatives—including Trugg, his own adoptive sister, who lounged by the flowerbeds with her mate, Gnov. They were a good distance away from the cubs. A wise choice, as not long after a cry could be heard from Krolia’s litter.

 

Ulaz briefly caught sight of Andy rushing towards his son, before Kolivan stepped into his view. Strapped on their chest was a small bundle of sleeping Galran cub. 

 

“Ulaz, you came”, Kolivan greeted him with forehead-bumping.

 

“Of course,  _ konu’i _ ”, Ulaz smiled, before tilting his head slightly at the sleeping cub. “Another one?”

 

“Adopted”, Kolivan said, before bumping their nose over the bright markings on the cub’s forehead. “She’s not of Lorian origin, but Zarkon and I had been wanting for another cub to care for.”

 

Ulaz turned his eye towards Sendak, who had finally had enough of his young sister-in-law’s antics and  _ threw _ her into the air. Ezor, however, simply glided down using her patagia and demanded to be thrown again once her feet touched the grass.

 

“No more throwing, Sendak!” Kolivan barked and received rude gestures in return. Sendak stomped away and joined Trugg and Gnov in the gazebo. Kolivan sighed, before turning their attention back to Ulaz. “Yes, well… I thought she can be friends with Honerva’s girls and Krolia’s litter once she gets older.”

 

His  _ konu’i _ had always liked cubs—specifically, they had always loved to raise cubs, though Ulaz had never understood the urges. But if it made them happy… “What’s her name?” he asked instead.

 

“Zethrid, after Zarkon’s grandmother”, Kolivan answered. Ulaz had heard about her in one of many tales he was told during his childhood—a terrifying commander who held back an invading fleet with a handful of her soldiers and her wits.

 

“Hello, then, Zethrid”, Ulaz bumped his nose to her forehead. She scrunched her face and flailed her fist, which connected with Ulaz’ cheek. “Quite a warrior, isn’t she.”

 

“Truly. Zarkon already made plans for her combat training.” Kolivan’s ears drooped in resignation.

 

“And she will make a great warrior!” Zarkon bellowed, laughing jovially having freed from his burden of carrying Honerva’s gifts. Thace and Sal too followed behind him—Sal still was looking starstruck over the whole thing, but there was no helping that.

 

Ulaz reached for Thace’s hand and bumped his forehead fondly. “Regretting meeting my family already?”

 

That seemed to shake Thace out of his stupor.

 

“Are you kidding me?! This is—” Thace seemed to be at loss for words as he looked around.

 

Little Lotor was joining the other cubs and immediately taking over their attention. Keith had already stopped crying and was trotting behind Lotor like a second shadow, followed closely behind by Acxa and Ezor. Even Narti had given up her spot on her sibling’s lap, her tail swaying excitedly at whatever shenanigans the other little demons were cooking.

 

Ulaz was seriously considering joining his sister already, no matter how much he loved the cubs with all his heart.

 

But then it hit him—Thace had never have this… All this family gathering that Ulaz took for granted. Alright, he might have imagined having to grow up without his annoying sister, his nosy  _ konu’i _ , a very loud uncle, or a horde of screaming and crying cubs. That was his reason moving out from the Star-Palace, after all.

 

Yet at the same time, he couldn’t imagine never having them at all. He couldn’t imagine how his life would be if his father hadn’t take him in all those years ago—he probably would’ve landed in a creche, just like Thace and Sal did. The thought made him shudder.

 

“This is your family too, now”, Ulaz gave his new mate a fond smile. “ _ Te Lorian, tevaya na tekkeh _ .”

 

Ulaz was surprised to see a smile grow on Thace’s face—he wasn’t expecting his mate to understand the Lorian language, after all, though he probably should. As a Blade recruit, Thace was probably fluent in most of the major languages aboard the Mothership. 

 

And, well… Ulaz was not regretting what he said; to Lorians, family was  _ everything _ , even those who were not bound by blood.

 

Thace’s smile, in Ulaz’ opinion, could power the Mothership for centuries more.


	5. Chapter 5

The Feast wouldn’t be for a few hours, so Ulaz decided to show Thace around.

 

The Inner Garden was not as big as the Royal Botanical Garden nor was their collection as extensive, but it was still quite beautiful, in Ulaz’s opinion. The Royal Family often used it to relax and chat after a long cycle of work, so the garden was not accessible to public and was always guarded by members of the Blade of Marmora.

 

There were hover-trays brimming with finger foods and refreshing drinks all over the garden. Ulaz took great delight watching Thace’s reaction as he tried some of the exotic food provided. He had no idea that Thace’s face could be quite  _ expressive _ .

 

“Sal probably would kill to get the synthesizer code for some of these foods”, Thace commented after examining something that was labeled ‘vanilla popsicle’—an Earth food, apparently, no doubt served for Andy’s comfort. When he bit into it, his face shifted into a comical grimace almost immediately. Ulaz understood his reaction as soon as he took a bite of his own popsicle; the food was so cold it hurt his teeth.

 

“I think Sal prefers the tried-and-true Galran traditional food over these exotic foods”, Ulaz shrugged as he threw the popsicle into a nearest garbage chute. He had been eating in Vrepit Sal’s Sustenance Stall for more than two decades and the menu had never been changed once.

 

“That  _ is _ true.” Thace sighed, before turning away to the garden sprawling in front of him. 

 

Glowing crystal-bugs flitted around as they neared the pond. Lace-like vines hung from the arch over their head, revealing the beautiful scenery of the central pond. Hundreds of crystalline lanterns floated serenely on the dark surface, illuminating the place with ethereal glow. 

 

Ulaz watched as Thace’s eyes were utterly transfixed on the pond ahead. The glow from the lanterns cast soft shadows over Thace—and Ulaz couldn’t help but think,  _ dear stars, he’s so beautiful _ .

 

Eventually, Thace noticed that he had been staring and blushed prettily. Chuckling, Ulaz gently took Thace’s chin and pressed his lips upon Thace’s.

 

“Thank you, for coming to meet my family”, Ulaz whispered as they broke their kiss. “It means a lot to me.”

 

A smile curved on Thace’s lips. “Thank  _ you _ , for bringing me to meet them”, he returned. “Your family is really amazing.”

 

Ulaz’s smile widened and he pressed his forehead to Thace’s. He was glad that Thace had no problem with his family—stars knew Ulaz found them rather overwhelming at times. But they all accepted Thace so easily, especially Kolivan and Zarkon, and that was all that mattered to Ulaz.

 

He knew that eventually they should be back to the festival already, but to be honest, Ulaz would have been perfectly content to spend the rest of it with Thace, just the two of them. When he heard someone clearing their throat nearby, Ulaz restrained himself from groaning.

 

Trugg was leaning on the arch, her arms crossing over her chest. On her hand was a half-empty flute of something purplish—alcoholic, no doubt. She looked like halfway wasted already.

 

“Zarkon is looking for you. Says he won’t start the toast without you present”, she said.

 

“We will come shortly”, Ulaz replied irritatedly.

 

“Well, don’t take it too long. Some of us do have other things to attend to after the festival, you know”, her sister said before she downed the rest of her drink.

 

Once she left, Ulaz felt a tension he didn’t realize was there leaving him. He slumped and rested his forehead on Thace’s shoulders, their height difference making him bow awkwardly.

 

“You… don’t seem to like your sister much”, Thace said, and Ulaz could feel his hands rubbing circles on his back. “And I’m guessing the feeling is mutual.”

 

“It’s… She’s very competitive, to put it lightly”, Ulaz sighed. “Our father always pitted us against each other and pushed us to pursue a career in the military, but I never wanted it. Then he died and Uncle… didn’t care much about which career we chose, as long as it made us happy.”

 

Thace hummed contemplatively. “Family stuff sounds very complicated”, he said. “Ready to go back?”

 

Ulaz sighed. “Alright, let’s go then.”

 

True to his sister’s word, Zarkon and the others were already waiting for them. A banquet table was set on the garden, overflowing with food. To Zarkon’s right was Kolivan and to his left was Honerva. The rest of their family sat on either side of the table, while the seat opposite to Zarkon was left empty. 

 

Ulaz pulled Thace to sit next to Sendak, who was rather pleased with this arrangement. His mate, Prince Sincline, was not as lucky—they were sitting next to Acxa and Keith, who were trying their hardest to annoy Sincline with their incessant questions. Narti, Ezor, and Lotor’s white formal clothes were now the colors of rainbow from grass stains, food stains, and other stains.

 

Once everyone were seated, Zarkon stood and the table fell into a hushed silence.

 

“We are celebrating yet another Dral’Zaivarti”, Zarkon began his speech. “Day of Revival, when our people brought themselves back from the brink of extinction—by tightening our bonds and taking care of each other, as one nation, one tribe, one  _ family _ .”

 

Ulaz threw a discreet glance to Thace and Sal, who were abandoned by their own tribe and left to grow out of the system, and thought how ironic Zarkon’s words were. But Thace and Sal didn’t seem upset.

 

“For Dral’Zaivarti.” Zarkon said.

 

Then, the ceiling above their head exploded and everything went dark.

 

—

 

When Ulaz came into consciousness, his ears were still ringing terribly.

 

Someone was dragging him by the collar across the hallway. Through his spotted vision, he could see dark figures were walking to his left and right, also dragging bodies behind them. Who were—

 

_ The kids! _ Ulaz realized with a loud gasp, before he groaned out in pain. His head ached and there was stinging above his eyebrows, though he couldn’t tell if he was bleeding or not. His vision cleared a bit, though, and he recognized the dark figures—Imperial Commanders. Raht was dragging Kolivan by their robe, while Gnov was carrying Honerva over her shoulders and dragging Zarkon, who was bound in some kind of electromagnetic field. 

 

Zarkon was wounded, Ulaz realized angrily. Blood gushed out from the massive scar on the left side of his face. Low ranked officers were carrying the others; Prince Sincline, Krolia, and Andy, even Thace and Sal.

 

The kids were nowhere in sight.

 

The group finally stopped at the main hall—bright light from the light crystals blinded Ulaz. A wave of nausea hit him briefly. It also didn’t help when the person who was dragging him finally dumped him onto the floor.

 

Only then he realized that it was Trugg who had dragged him there. His own  _ sister _ .

 

“Trugg, what—” Ulaz gasped, but Trugg stepped around him and faced the crowd gathering by the main hall. No, not a mere crowd, Ulaz realized—but the Mothership’s Peace Task Force, led by King Alfor himself.

 

“If you kill me”, Trugg purred, a vicious smile stretched across her lips. “You will be responsible for the death of the royal children.”

 

Dread filled Ulaz’ chest just as King Alfor’s face crumpled. He ordered the Alteans to stand down with a silent gesture of his hand.

 

“Citizens of Mothership Volvatu”, Trugg began, her voice echoed inside the main hall. “For so long we have been terrorized by a group called the Blade of Marmora. They claim that they are protecting us, but their methods are flawed and often unlawful. By keeping the identity of their members secret, we as the rightful people of the Mothership, have no means to hold them accountable for their actions. Well,  _ not anymore _ .”

 

She turned to Kolivan. “Well, dearest uncle. Don’t you have anything to say, as the Leader of the Blade of Marmora?”

 

Ulaz turned sharply to his  _ konu’i _ , whose face was a perfectly blank mask. Only their eyes were glaring murderously at Trugg.

 

No — there was no way Kolivan was the Leader of the Blade of Marmora. Ulaz was confident that he knew his  _ konu’i  _ rather well; and he knew that they worked tirelessly to preserve Lorian culture aboard the Mothership and provide support system to orphaned Lorians across the galaxies. For Kolivan to have a second life as a secret agent of the Blade… that was impossible!

 

But Kolivan was neither agreeing nor denying Trugg’s claim, and Ulaz began to sense that perhaps…  _ perhaps _ her claim was not as outrageous as he initially thought it was.

 

“Maybe we should kill one of the kids to make them fess up”, Raht suggested. Ulaz turned to him next, just as Zarkon was shouting garbled mess from his paralyzed state.

 

“Sister, you can’t seriously think to—” Ulaz tried to reason to Trugg. She couldn’t seriously consider to hurt their own family, right?

 

“Do not worry, brother”, Trugg waved her hand at him. “It’s useless to use the kids as bargaining chip against Uncle, since they don’t care about family at all. After all, they killed our father. Isn’t that right, Uncle?”

 

Ulaz turned to Kolivan again, pleading for his  _ konu’i  _ to answer this one, to deny it, anything. Instead, Kolivan’s ears drooped—and that was enough answer for him.

 

All this time, Ulaz thought that Ranveig died a natural death. After all, he was so old when he moved out to the colony, leaving Trugg and Ulaz in the care of Kolivan and Zarkon. The two of them were barely out of their youth—Ulaz only recently graduated from medical school—when they heard the news from the colony.

 

“ _ Konu’i _ … Please tell me that isn’t true”, Ulaz begged, hating the way his voice shook. “You didn’t kill  _ va’i _ … right?”

 

“He was plotting a coup to dispose the Emperor”, Kolivan answered, finally.

 

_ No _ .

 

It couldn’t be.

 

His father led the Lorians back to Daibazaal after the devastating destruction of Loria-9 Colony that turned their people into poor refugees. He had been an extension of the Galran Royal Family after his own cousin, Kolivan, married Zarkon. Sure, Ulaz knew that his father could be rather prejudiced against Non-Galra at times, but he was one of Zarkon’s trusted confidants after the destruction of Daibazaal.

 

Why would Ranveig plot a coup if he could simply tell his ideas to Zarkon?

 

As if she could read Ulaz’ mind, Trugg answered for him. “Our father believed that the Empire was broken. That forming an alliance with otherworlders, with  _ aliens _ , was what made us become trapped inside this floating metal we call home, instead of fulfilling our destiny as the true conquerors of the Known Universe.”

 

Slight movement caught his eyes—Thace was awake, though he pretended not to be. The lieutenant holding him seemed too distracted by Trugg’s monologuing to notice the movement of Thace’s hand. But who was he signaling—

 

On the other side of the room, Krolia’s eyes were focused on Thace’s hand. A slight crease formed between her eyebrows, but she seemed to understand what Thace was signing—was Krolia a Blade member too?

 

But his musing was cut short when he noticed that Thace was staring right at him. There was something in Thace’s eyes that Ulaz couldn’t fully comprehend; like he was assessing him… or cautious of him. It hurt, Ulaz had to admit, that his own mate couldn’t trust him.

 

Was it because he was Trugg’s sister and Ranveig’s son, while Thace was a Blade member?  _ Was this how his father felt? _ Ulaz wondered. Always feeling like he was an outsider, a risk, a threat to be taken out when convenient; instead of a part of the family?

 

Did his bond with Thace mean nothing?

 

“Join me, Ulaz. Together, we can rule the Galra.” Trugg’s monologuing was finally done and for a moment, Ulaz could barely comprehend what she was saying. He looked at his sister’s hand in confusion—he didn’t want to make this choice. He didn’t want to choose between his sister or his mate; his father or the rest of his family.

 

With a sigh, he finally took her hand. She helped him to stand up. 

 

“I knew you still love our father,  _ ni’tsi _ ”, she smiled.

 

_ Well, _ Ulaz thought grimly.  _ Of course _ he loved his father.

 

Unsheathing his claws, Ulaz slashed her sister’s face, using too much force than he intended. Four long gashes ran from the side of her neck to the top of her eyebrows, barely missing her eye. She howled and dropped her gun; Ulaz caught it before it hit the floor and pressed the barrel to the back of her neck, his hand still shaking and dripping with blood.

 

Thace and Krolia used Ulaz’ action as a perfect distraction. Together, they broke the bind that restrained them and killed their captors without a shred of hesitation. Honerva shapeshifted herself bigger and pounced at Gnov, immediately releasing Zarkon from his electromagnetic jail.

 

The wall behind Raht exploded and Sendak and a tailed Blade member that Ulaz remembered from his clinic stepped into the main hall. The two of them were carrying the kids—they looked well, much to Ulaz’ relief.

 

“Ulaz, why…” Trugg gasped, still clutching at her wounded face.

 

Ulaz supposed he had a hundred of answers to her question; that he loved his family more than he loved his father, that his father had been dead for centuries and his ideologies were better left behind, that he was a doctor and it was his duty to save lives. He remembered what Thace said before everything went downhill.  _ Family stuff sounds very complicated _ , and Ulaz was inclined to agree.

 

“You should’ve expected this”, Ulaz shrugged. “I’m dad’s biggest disappointment, remember?”

 

And that was how Trugg’s pitiful attempt to coup ended.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is unbetaed 'v'

Ulaz woke up to someone snoring in his ear.

 

He lived alone in his apartment, so he wasn’t expecting the noise—but then he remembered everything that happened two cycles ago.

 

It didn’t take long for the Alteans to round up the remaining insurgents. Sendak and the other Blades who had not been present at the feast went around disabling bombs that had been planted all over the Star-Palace; that was how they found and rescued the kids. The Rescue Unit had rushed in not long after, tending to those who were injured. 

 

Meanwhile, Ulaz took one look at his  _ konu’i _ , who was busy fussing over Zarkon, and fled the scene.

 

Kolivan had killed Ranveig—Ulaz never thought the fact would hurt this much. After all, his father had never really liked his career choice to be a doctor and urged him to enlist to the Fleet instead, much to his annoyance. He didn’t really care much about military, much to Ranveig’s dismay.

 

But Ranveig had taken him in when no one else would. Ulaz was still a very young cub when the destruction of Daibazaal had occurred and he lost his parents. Ranveig took him in, raised him, cared for him, and taught him about their culture. He wasn’t the best father around, but he was still a father to him, if not by blood then by bond.

 

Ulaz shook his head and sighed. “Dead for decades and still you’re giving me troubles.”

 

He turned his attention to Thace, who was still snoring peacefully and drooling on his pillow. He looked absolutely serene like this, and Ulaz couldn’t help but press a soft kiss to the bandaged cut on his cheek.

 

Now that he was safe, Ulaz realized that he had been scared. He was scared of losing his uncles and he was scared of losing Thace in more ways than death. Being lied to by his uncle and betrayed by his own sister… it hurt  _ less _ , surprisingly, than the prospect of losing Thace’s trust. Now, he was simply grateful that Thace was relatively unharmed during the whole thing. He did have several cuts, minor burns, and bruises, though—nothing that Ulaz couldn’t fix.

 

They needed to talk; but Ulaz supposed that could’ve waited until Thace was awake.

 

With a sigh, he pulled himself up from the bed and padded to the bathroom. His eyes caught his own reflection in the mirror as he entered and it made him frown. He looked like he was caught in a solar storm; his crest was unkempt, his face pale. The cut over his eyebrow was still healing and he couldn’t use regenerator to fix it with Thace around. Not that he minded, really.

 

Thace was the only thing that anchored his sanity to the ground and Ulaz was really grateful to have him around his apartment. They didn’t really talk much, still recuperating from the whole incident, but there were many cuddles happening on Ulaz’ bed. Sal was nice enough to deliver them food from his Stall; its leftover was still sitting on the countertop that Ulaz rarely used.

 

“Laz?” Thace’s raspy voice came from the bedroom.

 

“In the bathroom”, Ulaz called, before turning on the tap and washed his face quickly. Not long after, Thace slipped in and wound his arms around Ulaz’ midsection from behind.

 

Ulaz always found Thace’s clinginess rather endearing; but he could tell that something was bothering Thace. “Bad dream?”

 

“Something like that”, Thace hummed into Ulaz’ back. He didn’t seem wanting to elaborate, so Ulaz waited until his mate spoke up again. “I had a dream where I lost you.”

 

Thace’s choice of word made Ulaz’ throat tighten. 

 

Perhaps he was overthinking it; in hindsight, it did sound silly. It was just a word, after all. But perhaps, they really needed that Talk right now. Taking a deep breath, he released himself from Thace’s embrace and steeled himself. “You dreamt where I betrayed you.”

 

Thace was silent; and really, did the Blade of Marmora have a policy not to deny nor confirm whatever accusation thrown their way? Once again, Ulaz was reminded of the fact that his uncle—that Kolivan had been hiding the truth from him. An annoyed hiss escaped him.

 

He left the bathroom.

 

“Ulaz, wait”, Thace called, his hand reached Ulaz’—and briefly, purple flashed in his vision.

 

He slashed his sister with that hand; he was a doctor, and all he wanted was to save lives, but he had hurt his own sister with that hand.

 

“Listen.” Thace raked his head-fur. “Trusting people… doesn’t come easy to me. It’s— _ damn _ , my whole life, I’ve faced disappointment after disappointment. My training with the Blade of Marmora—that certainly doesn’t help. But then I met you.”

 

Thace’s eyes were wide; so open and trusting, and in that moment, Ulaz couldn’t understand.

 

“Ulaz, you made me want to trust again.”

 

Ulaz couldn’t understand.

 

“What happened back then… I don’t know how to say this”, Thace paused, sighing. “It’s just… my first instinct, I suppose, to be suspicious of people, to believe that they will turn around and hurt me. But then you did…  _ that _ , and I thought—I thought, maybe… maybe  _ I don’t have to _ anymore, when I’m around you.”

 

Ulaz couldn’t understand, how could Thace bare his soul to him like this. He couldn’t understand why would Thace trust him so openly like this. His whole life, Ulaz never considered himself as distrustful—in fact, he was so trusting of his family that he couldn’t see them as who they truly were. His father was a traitor, his uncle a murderer. His own sister was so disillusioned that she was so ready to kill everyone, including children.

 

Ulaz pulled his hand away to wipe the tears gathering on his eyes.

 

“I think… I also need to learn how to trust again”, he admitted, hugging himself tight.

 

Thace let out a surprised chuckle. “We can learn together…?”

 

Ulaz smiled.  _ Yeah _ , he’d like that.

 

—

 

The next day, the two of them visited the Stall, hand in hand. Ulaz claimed that he was bored by his replicator menu, while Thace claimed that he needed some fresh air. In truth, both of them knew they just needed to see Sal again.

 

While Thace and Ulaz took their time after the whole thing, to ground themselves down and build themselves back up, Sal seemed to bounce back right away. Right now, Ulaz really needed Sal’s honesty and tenacity more than anything.

 

“I need to come clean”, Thace told Sal as soon as they sat down on the counter. “I’m a Blade of Marmora recruit.”

 

Sal stared at Thace for three full ticks, before giving him a shrug. “Yeah, I figured.”

 

Thace sputtered. “Wh—Wait, what?!”

 

“What do you take me for? You moved out soon after those recruiting Blades visited the creche. Then you disappeared for two whole  _ dralsa _ and came back covered in burns a few  _ dral _ after the fire at the Blade of Marmora headquarters.” Sal crossed his arms. “I’m not school-smart like you, Thace, but you have to give me more credit than that.”

 

Ulaz watched as Thace fidgeted in embarrassment and gave his mate a nudge. Thace pouted, but reached over the counter to give Sal a half-hearted hug. Sal didn’t think it was enough, apparently, and returned it with a bone-crushing hug—Ulaz actually heard something crack coming from Thace.

 

“So, what are you two up to?” Sal asked once the hugging session was over.

 

“It’s—” Ulaz was about to answer, when Sal interrupted him with a sharp gasp.

 

This felt familiar, Ulaz thought as he turned. This time, though, it was Kolivan who entered Vrepit Sal’s Sustenance Stall. They wore simple-yet-elegant robe, befitting of btheir status as the Royal Consort, and their hair was tied in a loose bun.

 

Something warm covered his hand, making Ulaz turn back and see Thace’s hand gently holding Ulaz’ own. He hadn’t realized that he was unsheathing his claws. He sheathed them back and tried to swallow the acidic anger rising in his throat.

 

“ _ Konu’i _ ”, he said.

 

“Ulaz”, Kolivan returned, before turning their attention to Sal and Thace. “May I speak with my nephew in private?”

 

Ulaz could feel Thace tensing up and Sal fidgeting behind his back, and decided that,  _ yeah, no _ . “Whatever you tell me I will tell my  _ mate _ . And whatever my mate tells his brother, that is none of your business.”

 

Kolivan sighed, their shoulders slumping. They were quiet for a moment, but their eyes were fixated on him and Ulaz hated it.

 

“I’ve always wanted to tell you…” Kolivan said, finally.

 

“Well, next time you want to tell me something, I’d prefer that you tell me before someone with violent tendencies held us all hostage and forced you to do it”, Ulaz retorted. Behind him, Sal snorted.

 

Kolivan’s ears drooped. “I’ll keep that in mind…”

 

“How did he die?” Ulaz asked.

 

“In his sleep, I was told”, Kolivan answered without missing a beat. “Slow-acting poison in his food, given by his servant who didn’t know a thing. I didn’t want anyone to be suspicious; he was too influential of a leader.”

 

Ulaz wracked his brain for any poison that was capable to do that while completely undetectable. Sadly, that was way out of his expertise, but he knew that whatever it was, it would’ve caused his father a slow and excruciating death.

 

He knew that his father would’ve preferred death by combat. Hell, his father would’ve preferred an execution—Ranveig was a proud man, and if he was to be held accountable for his treachery, he would be facing death with his head held high. 

 

And honestly? If that was what happened, Ulaz wasn’t so sure if he would still be loyal to Zarkon.

 

Perhaps that was what Kolivan wanted to avoid. By keeping him and the rest of the Lorians in the dark about the true nature of Ranveig’s death, Kolivan secured their loyalty and prevented the Lorians from rebelling against Zarkon. A civil war would break out for sure; countless deaths would occur.

 

Ulaz  _ really _ hated politics.

 

“Ulaz, I—” Kolivan pleaded, but Ulaz raised his hand.

 

“Don’t—Just… stop talking.” He sighed. “I know why you did it. It’s just… I’m still angry. I know I will forgive you, eventually, but please… Allow me my anger.”

 

“I understand. Take all the time you need”, Kolivan bowed their head, before turning to exit the stall. But then they paused, as if remembering something. 

 

“Oh, I forgot. In three  _ dral _ , Zarkon will be giving an official statement of some sort regarding to the coup and the future of the Blade of Marmora. He wishes the whole family to attend. He’d like you to be there”, they said. “You too, Thace and Sal. After all, you are family too now.”

 

With that, Kolivan left, and Ulaz felt more drained than before he decided to go out for a lunch.

 

“Just so you know”, Sal said, breaking the silence. “After everything that happened, I am  _ not _ going anywhere close to the Star-Palace  _ ever again _ .”

 

Ulaz couldn’t agree more.

 

—

 

Three days later found Ulaz sitting in front of his dresser, staring at his reflection with tired eyes. He was already wearing his best formalwear to attend to Zarkon’s speech, but his heart was still in turmoil.

 

He wanted to protect Thace from his own family drama, he  _ really _ did. But his father was assassinated and his sister was in jail—and now that he truly knew how the Blade of Marmora operated, he had to be under scrutiny right now. What if he made a misstep? What if he slipped and put everyone around him in danger? Thace, Sal, all his coworkers at the clinic.

 

For the first time he lived in Mothership Volvatu, Ulaz felt… scared. Unsafe.

 

“You’re not thinking to go, are you?” Thace asked, concerned, as he placed his hand on Ulaz’ shoulder.

 

Ulaz lifted his head and placed his hand over Thace’s, giving it a firm squeeze.

 

“I have to”, he replied.

 

“Ulaz—” Thace began.

 

“You don’t understand”, Ulaz hissed. “I have to go, because if I don’t—if I don’t, they will be suspicious of me. They'll suspect that I supported my sister, and then…” he sighed, ears drooping as he felt exhaustion settling on his shoulders. “And then, they'll be suspicious of you too.”

 

Ulaz turned and stared at Thace in the eye, his chest full of desperation. Thace— _ beautiful and wonderful Thace _ . Ulaz would protect him from his family no matter the cost.

 

“Let’s go”, Thace offered his hand to Ulaz.

 

Ulaz hesitated, sighing. “Better get this over with sooner. It’s only a speech after—”

 

“No”, Thace interrupted with a manic grin on his face. “Let’s go away from Mothership Volvatu!”

 

Ulaz stared at his mate, mouth agape.

 

“Think about it, Laz! We can take a transport to one of the colonies. We can travel the Universe!” Thace said excitedly. “And, and, then we can elope, I don’t know. What do you think?”

 

“Yes”, Ulaz sobbed and reached forward to hug Thace. “Yes! Yes! Let’s go!”

 

They put on the plainest clothes and took a train to the hangar. The hangar was located at the outermost ring of Mothership Volvatu, and was the transportation center that connected the Mothership with the colonies. Ulaz knew this, at the very least, and yet… 

 

Ulaz had never stepped out of the Mothership before and so did Thace, so the two of them were at loss about where to go or how to get out of the Mothership. The hangar was busier than they expected and there was no clear sign about where to go.

 

“Running away?” A familiar voice made Ulaz jump out of his skin. He turned only to find Sendak standing behind them with severe expression on his face and his arms crossed.

 

“It was my idea.” Thace immediately shielded Ulaz from the large Imperial Commander. “Don’t hurt him,  _ please _ .”

 

Ulaz blushed but was unwilling to let Thace take all the blame. He was no damsel in distress. “But I agreed to go with him”, he added.

 

Instead, Sendak barked out a laugh, much to Ulaz’ surprise. He laughed so hard until he bent forward and clutched his stomach. When he finally composed himself, he turned to the direction of the cruiser next to them. “Hey, Sincline! You never told me your cousin is so funny!”

 

Crown Prince Sincline walked down the cruiser’s ramp and gave Ulaz and Thace a once-over. “Let me guess: you guys are eloping because you—” they pointed at Ulaz. “—cannot bear to be in the same solar system with my Dam. Which, of course, no judgement there.”

 

“Uh…” Ulaz answered eloquently. He eyed Thace, whose ears tilted in confusion. “So… you're not going to stop us…?”

 

“Are you kidding? No, of course not! Who do you think you are talking to?” Sincline crossed their arms and pouted. “I cannot bear to be in the same room with that  _ keruti _ , always nagging me to quit from my exploration missions already. They don’t understand how important these missions are to me.”

 

_ Well then, _ Ulaz thought, stunned.

 

“Well?” Sincline tilted their head. “What are you waiting for? Hop aboard! From now on you two are my ship doctor and errand boy.”

 

Still confused, Ulaz pulled Thace to climb up the ramp. The ship departed not long after.

 

— 

 

Three months passed without any contact from the Mothership. It made Ulaz wonder if Sincline did something to block all communication with the Mothership beyond mission reports and such. It didn’t seem unlikely, considering their… parental issues.

 

Life was good, in Ulaz opinion. Once he got used to it, the life aboard Sincline’s exploration vessel was rather fun. They visited many regions of space that had never been charted before.

 

When Ulaz arrived to the medbay that  _ dral _ , he probably should have expected Thace to be there, with some kind of injury that he got from whatever exploration mission Sincline had gotten him into recently. At least Thace still had some decency to smile guiltily at him, which was enough to extinguish Ulaz’ protective rage before it even started. 

 

“You should have been more careful”, Ulaz sighed as he helped patching Thace up. “You have the disadvantage because of your allergy. It takes you longer to heal because of it.”

 

“What if I'm simply looking for a reason to see my beloved husband's pretty face?” Thace said with a lopsided smile—which was caused by the nick on his left cheek.

 

“Thace…” Ulaz sighed, popping the cap of a dermal injector open. “We share a quarter together.” And stabbed him right on the cheek.

 

“Ow!!” Thace cried out. “That hurt!”

 

“You big baby”, Ulaz pursed his lips and placed a peck on Thace’s uninjured cheek. “Better?”

 

“Mm… I dunno. It still hu— _mmph_?” 

 

Whatever complains Thace was about to say was lost when Ulaz kissed him on the lips. It didn’t last long, and when they broke the kiss, Thace’s face was a delightful shade of indigo.  _ Stars _ , Ulaz thought. His husband was beautiful.

 

“What’s your diagnosis now, Doc?” Thace asked, licking his freshly-kissed lips.

 

“I hope you two loverboys don’t start making out in my medbay.” A voice from the comm made both Ulaz and Thace jolt in surprise. Ulaz turned and noticed that the comm link came from the bridge.

 

“Respectfully, if I recall correctly, the medbay is within my exclusive authority under the medical department, Captain Sincline”, he returned smoothly. 

 

Sincline was quiet for three ticks, undoubtedly rolling their eyes just now. “Just get back to work.”

 

“Aye, Captain", Ulaz and Thace said in unison.

 

“Meet you later?” Thace whispered in his ears.

 

“Just go.” Ulaz’ ears flicked, both in anticipation and in embarrassment.

 

Thace laughed and walked away.

**Author's Note:**

> go check [my tumblr](https://xblackpaladin.tumblr.com)!


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